This page is all about what to do BEFORE you get the bees. Got bees and got questions? See these pages:
- Inspections: Technique
- Inspections: your new nuc
- Inspections: your new package
- Inspections: through the summer
- Inspections: going into Fall
- Winter: a leap of faith for us all
Before the Bees - Learning and Shopping.
- There are lots of decisions to make about starting beekeeping.
- How to get the bees?
- What to put the bees in?
- What to wear and use when working bees?
- What to do with them once they're in the box?!?!?!
The more you know about each of your options, the better off you'll feel when you are tackling the decisions.
- Best option: a beekeeping class.
- Check your local beekeeping club, or a nearby nursery or extension office, or another county's club.
- The club is a mixed blessing, because there are many ways to be a successful (or unsuccessful) beekeeper, and both kinds sound the same.
- Find your own source of how-to-beekeep, a single source, for your first year. It could be the instructors from your class, a book, a webpage, or a mentor. Filter the info from the masses through this source.
- Here is a free online beekeeping class if you can't find a local one. Or even if you can!
- Books:
- The Backyard Beekeeper. It is an amazing coincidence that the most thorough book I have found is actually written by an author whom I've met, because his bee club/hometown is an hour away! At the site of Root Candles, since Kim Flottum has a long history as the editor of Bee Culture magazine.
- There are a zillion more, and they are all a heartfelt effort to help you succeed in your beekeeping endeavors. Keep looking if the first few don't resonate with you. The library or a bookstore is a great resource here.
- Youtube vids: There's a zillion beekeeping vids, try these first.
- Grow Organic Beekeeping for Beginners The author is very keen on organic, and has high end equipment. Organic sugar is not a necessity for successful bee feeding. Otherwise very practical advice!
- Doug the Bee Guy beginner series: I do remember my confusion at the different hive parts! This is a series that gets you through the first few months with detailed videos about the steps involved.
- NewBee Web Pages:
- Honey Bee Suite's Beginner Pages: This author has an extensive collection of tips, tricks and facts to help when you come up with a question. She's not just telling what to do, or how to do it, but why it works.
- Canada's Ag and Food Museum page is cleverly organized and has some good pictures.
- Beekeeping for Dummies has a nice spread with pictures. Bit random in coverage, but I guess they want you to buy the book...
- Keeping Backyard Bees is a very thorough site.
- Scientific Beekeeping Beginner Pages: This beekeeper sells a thousand or so nucs every year in California, which isn't even the amazing part! What's amazing is that he is trying to get to the bottom of important questions for beekeepers, the kind that involve breeding bees for mite resistance, without any government money.
- Podcasts! Not just for millenials.
- Most phones can download something for getting podcasts, see this site for more info about how to find and get them.
- a link to the website for Long Lane Farm's Podcast series: These folks are running a beekeeping bizness. This podcast is all they have for free. There is a pretty expensive online course; might be useful?
- a link to Keeping Backyard Bees website for podcasts also has podcasts.
- The podcast website for Five Apple Farm has podcasts with a range of topics.
- The website for the Backyard Beekeeper's corner has a lot to share about the science of beekeeping, as well as stories about state legislation and a whole passel of beekeeping topics.